Adjustable traffic cone

ABSTRACT

The current invention is a collapsible construction cone that breaks down at five different levels to create a compact, easily transportable traffic control device. The design is stackable for convenient storage and can be quickly adjusted to its upright position. A user would twist the handle to pull up. Pull upwards until all five layers are visible, or to the preferred height, and then twist the opposite direction to lock the cone in place.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional utility patent claiming the priority of Provisional Application No. 62/381,659 filed on Aug. 31, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of traffic control and more specifically relates to traffic cones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traffic cones are generally used outdoors during road work or other situations requiring traffic redirection or advance warning of hazards or dangers, or the prevention of traffic. Traffic cones may also be used to mark and/or block-off a particular area. Traffic cones can be used for night time or low-light situations such that traffic cones are usually fitted with a reflective sleeve or strip to increase visibility. Traffic cones may also be fitted with flashing lights for similar reasons.

In the United States, traffic cones are generally required by the US Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to be fitted with reflective white bands to increase night-time visibility. These reflective collars, or white strips can be made from white reflective plastic, slip over cones snugly, also, tape or adhesive can be used to permanently attach the collars/bands to the cones.

Traffic cones are designed to be visible and moved easily. There are a variety of sizes used, commonly ranging from around thirty centimeters (30 cm; 11.8 in) to a little over one meter (1 m; 39.4 in). Traffic cones may be available in many different colors, with orange, yellow, pink, and red being the most common colors due to their brightness and visibility. Others traffic cones may be available in green and blue, and may also include a reflective strip to increase their visibility.

The commonly used traffic cone exhibits some limitations. One (1) such limitation is that traffic cones are size specific such that one (1) size of cone is required for a specific application, and another size is required for another application such that a large volume of different sizes of cones must be available. This can result in a large amount of storage. Also, large sizes of traffic cones are often heavy, resulting in high labor costs. A suitable solution is desired.

Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in the traffic cone art. Among these are found in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,807 to Campbell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,235 to Palazzolo, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,050 to Barnard. These prior art references are representative of traffic cones.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. Thus, a need exists for reliable collapsible traffic cones, and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY

The current invention is a collapsible construction cone that breaks down at five different levels to create a compact, easily transportable traffic control device. The innovative design is stackable for convenient storage and can be quickly adjusted to its upright position. A user would twist the handle to pull up. Pull upwards until all five layers are visible, or to the preferred height, and then twist the opposite direction to lock the cone in place. The effortless transport and set up makes the current invention the perfect traffic device to save time, energy and lives.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a traffic cone 10 in an expanded condition, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a traffic cone 10 in a collapsed condition, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the track 30 and protrusion 40 expansion and collapsing means, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

ITEM NUMBERS

-   10 Traffic Cone -   12 a top segment -   12 b intermediate segment -   12 c bottom segment -   13 base -   20 handle -   25 reflective tape -   30 track -   40 protrusion -   50 Screw/nail

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention advantageously fills the aforementioned deficiencies by providing a conveniently collapsible traffic cone 10. The present invention is superior to other systems in that a traffic cone 10 effectively expands and collapses for easy and convenient moving and storage.

Generally speaking, a collapsible traffic cone 10 is usable during construction activities or other times that traffic control is needed or desired. The traffic cone 10 includes a generally cone-shaped device with a plurality of segments 12 a-12 c which is both expandable and contractible to provide a cone 10 that can be adjusted to a variety of heights dependent upon specific uses and job requirements.

Embodiments of the traffic cone 10 can include reflective materials 25 to improve visibility and therefore safety. The traffic cone 10 can be constructed from a wide range of materials (e.g., rubber, plastic, metals, etc.), as well as recycled or reclaimed materials.

The present invention is directed to a traffic cone 10 extension system. In one (1) embodiment of the present invention, a traffic cone 10 may comprise a five-layer cylindrical-shaped device 12 a-12 c, in which each segment 12 a-12 b comprises a smaller volumetric size compared to the immediately subjacent segment 12 b-12 c, such that the segments 12 a-12 c collapse into the subjacent segment from top to bottom, in order to condense the cone 10 into a smaller and more convenient size for storing and/or moving.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 showing the traffic cone 10 fully expanded, such that all of the segments 12 a-12 c of the cone 10 are revealed. Also shown is the reflective tape 25 in a center portion of each segment 12 a-12 c as well as a handle 20 on top of the top segment 12 a to aid in transport and use. As shown, the base 13 of the cone 10 is preferably a rubberized or frictional material molded or otherwise adhered to the bottom segment 12 c.

Also shown in FIG. 1, the top segment 12 a of the cone 10 has the smallest circumference. Between the top segment 12 a and the bottom segment 12 c are intermediate segments 12 b, each having an increased concentric size where the size is gradually decreasing from bottom to top of the cone 10. The top segment 12 a may include a handle 12 located at the top surface thereof. The handle 20 can be used to expand and collapse the cone 10 with a twist in either direction.

Twisting and lifting the cone 10 to a first direction may result in the expansion of the cone 10, or at least a desired segment 12 a-12 c, and a twist in a second direction can cause the cone 10, or at least a desired segment 12 a-12 c to collapse. Further details of the expansion and contraction means will be discussed below.

Referring now to FIG. 2 showing a perspective view of a traffic cone 10 in a collapsed condition. This condition makes the cone 10 smaller and easier to move and/or carry. In the collapsed condition, the bottom segment 12 c contains all the intermediate segments 12 b and top segment 12 a of the cone 10 that have been collapsed, with each segment 12 a, 12 b nested inside the subjacent segment 12 b, 12 c. The handle 20 extends upwards, enabling manipulation of the collapsed traffic cone 10. Also, the reflective tape 25 of the top segment 12 a and each intermediate segment 12 c is no longer visible, yet the reflective tape 25 of the bottom segment 12 c is visible.

Referring now to FIG. 3, which illustrates a cut-away view of a pair of intermediate segments 12 b, showing the expansion and collapsing means. the track upon which the segments 12-12 c expand, contract, and secure in place. A protrusion 40 is inserted into and travels along a track 30. The track 30 is located on an inner surface of the intermediate segment 12 b and is configured in a “Z” shape. It is appreciated that at least one (1) track 30 is located on the inner surface. The protrusion 40 is affixed or an integral part of the outer surface of the superjacent intermediate segment 12 b, the numbers and alignment of which correspondingly match that of the number and position of the tracks 30.

When the upper intermediate segment 12 b is turned in a first direction (left), the upper horizontal portion of the “Z”-shape of the track 30 of the lower intermediate segment 12 b retains the protrusion 40 of the upper intermediate segment 12 b, thereby fully expanding (or maintaining in a fully expanded state) the upper intermediate segment 12 b relative to the lower intermediate segment 12 b. When the intermediate segment 12 b is turned in a second direction (right), the protrusion 40 travels along the upper horizontal portion until it reaches the vertical portion of the “Z”-shape of the track 30, and due to gravity travels down the vertical portion, thereby collapsing the upper intermediate segment 12 b relative to the lower intermediate segment 12 b. Continual movement of the upper intermediate segment 12 b in the second direction (right) enables the protrusion 40 to travel along the lower horizontal portion of the “Z”-shaped track 30, thereby retaining the upper intermediate segment 12 b in the collapsed state relative to the lower intermediate segment 12 b. It is appreciated that the top segment 12 a comprises only the protrusions 40 and the bottom segment 12 b comprises only the tracks 30.

In one embodiment, each segment would have screws/nails 50 securing each level of the traffic cone 10 to the previous level where it would go through the outer segment and in to the inner segment to secure the segments together. This would provide more support for the traffic cone 10 in high winds. In the preferred embodiment there would be four screws or nails evenly spread out.

The exact specifications, materials used, and method of use of the traffic cone 10 may vary upon manufacturing.

The exact specifications, materials used, and method of use may vary upon manufacturing. The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A collapsible traffic cone, comprising: a base; a bottommost segment attached to said base, having at least one track on an inner surface thereof; a plurality of intermediate segments, each capable of nesting within a subjacent one of said plurality of intermediate segments, each having at least one track located on an inner surface thereof, and each having at least one protrusion located on an outer surface thereof; a topmost segment, having at least one protrusion located on an outer surface thereof; and, a handle affixed to a top surface of said uppermost segment; wherein each protrusion of an individual one of said uppermost segment or said plurality of intermediate segments is disposed within and travels along said track of a subjacent one of said plurality of intermediate segments or said bottommost segment; wherein movement in a first direction enables travel of all protrusions within a corresponding track to expand said cone; and, wherein movement in a second direction enables travel of all protrusions within a corresponding track to collapse said cone.
 2. A collapsible traffic cone according to claim one further comprising: Having the track be in the shape of a “Z”.
 3. A collapsible traffic cone according to claim one further comprising: Having a plurality of screws securing one segment to the another.
 4. A collapsible traffic cone according to claim one further comprising: Having a plurality of nails securing one segment to the another. 